Hasidism Incarnate argues that much of modern Judaism in the west developed under what it calls a “Christian gaze,” that is, reacting to Christianity by defending Judaism, positing that Judaism is ...
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Hasidism Incarnate argues that much of modern Judaism in the west developed under what it calls a “Christian gaze,” that is, reacting to Christianity by defending Judaism, positing that Judaism is unlike Christianity. This is done, ironically, while modern Judaism is being constructed as quite similar to Christianity in terms of its ethos, aesthetics, and attitude toward ritual and faith. Hasidism, unlike Judaism in Western Europe, is not developing under a “Christian gaze” and thus does not need to be apologetic of its positions. Free from an apologetic agenda (at least toward Christianity) what we find in Hasidism is a particular reading of medieval Jewish Kabbalah filtered through a focus on the charismatic leader that produces a religious world-view that shares a great deal with basic tenets of Christianity. This is because the basic many of the basic tenets of Christianity remained present, albeit often veiled, in much of kabbalistic teaching that was adopted in Hasidism to portray its notion of the charismatic figure (zaddik), often in supernatural terms. Hasidism Incarnate offer close readings of classical Hasidic texts to show the “Christian” tropes, which may have originally been “Jewish,” that lie beneath the surface of this multi-layered and textured literature.Less

Hasidism Incarnate : Hasidism, Christianity, and the Construction of Modern Judaism

Shaul Magid

Published in print: 2014-12-10

Hasidism Incarnate argues that much of modern Judaism in the west developed under what it calls a “Christian gaze,” that is, reacting to Christianity by defending Judaism, positing that Judaism is unlike Christianity. This is done, ironically, while modern Judaism is being constructed as quite similar to Christianity in terms of its ethos, aesthetics, and attitude toward ritual and faith. Hasidism, unlike Judaism in Western Europe, is not developing under a “Christian gaze” and thus does not need to be apologetic of its positions. Free from an apologetic agenda (at least toward Christianity) what we find in Hasidism is a particular reading of medieval Jewish Kabbalah filtered through a focus on the charismatic leader that produces a religious world-view that shares a great deal with basic tenets of Christianity. This is because the basic many of the basic tenets of Christianity remained present, albeit often veiled, in much of kabbalistic teaching that was adopted in Hasidism to portray its notion of the charismatic figure (zaddik), often in supernatural terms. Hasidism Incarnate offer close readings of classical Hasidic texts to show the “Christian” tropes, which may have originally been “Jewish,” that lie beneath the surface of this multi-layered and textured literature.